Editor of the Informer Newspaper, Andy Kankam, blames the Ghanaian media for the country’s dip in the 2022 World Press Freedom Index ranking by Reporters Without Borders.
Although he partly blames government for the dip, he also says, “The media organizations should blame ourselves for the decline as we have allowed filthy things on our portals. We have journalists engaged in blackmail and others using foul language.”
Andy Kankam noted some journalists in the name of Press Freedom use their platforms to run down others “and we have some also insulting people in the name of political discussions. Can’t we discuss issues without insulting anyone?” he queried in the Editors’ Take edition of the Happy Morning Show with host, Samuel Eshun.
He insists the Ghanaian media is by no means censored as it has the free range to execute its mandate without limitations.
The editor charged the media to exercise caution in their work, not taking advantage of privileged position to champion subjective agendas.
He also called on regulatory bodies to be more effective and efficient to reverse the new and unwelcomed trend in the media space which is against everything journalism stands for. “I think the National Communication Authority (NCA), Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA) also have a role to play in reversing this trend.”
Ghana has dropped 30 places to 60th on the 2022 World Press Freedom Index.
The ranking is Ghana’s third-lowest since Reporters Without Borders (RSF) began publishing the report in 2002.
Ghana ranked 67th in 2002 and 66th in 2005.
This year the index was compiled using a new methodology to take better account of new challenges, including those linked to media digitalisation.
Another change in the data gathering this year was that although the survey stopped at the end of January 2022, updates for January to March 2022 were carried out for countries where the situation had changed dramatically, such as Russia, Ukraine and Mali.
